“Mercury passes in front of the Sun — an eclipse.”
Usage Entry 1306 / 1350 60-second read
Eclipse vs. Transit
One body blocking another when their sizes are comparable versus a small body crossing in front of a much larger one.
The comparisoni
“Mercury passes in front of the Sun — a transit. Eclipses involve similar-sized bodies (Sun and Moon from Earth).”
The ruleii
¶
ECLIPSE = full block. TRANSIT = tiny cross.
ECLIPSE happens when one body entirely (or substantially) blocks another — solar eclipse (Moon blocks Sun), lunar eclipse (Earth blocks Sun from Moon). TRANSIT happens when a small body crosses in front of a larger one — Mercury or Venus transiting the Sun. Exoplanet transits are tiny.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Eclipse blocks. Transit crosses.